WHO SAVES THE ONES WHO SAVE US?
We see firefighters run into burning buildings. We see them carry people out, hold a scene steady, show up at 3 a.m. without hesitation. What we don't see is what happens after — when the truck pulls back into the station, the adrenaline drains out, and the silence sets back in.
Here's a truth most people don't know: firefighters die by suicide at a rate 30% higher than the general population — and are statistically more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. That fact is what started this project.
THE RIDE
Firefighter Tim Fisher has watched too many colleagues quietly disappear — not from fire, but from what fire leaves behind. So he did something about it: he organized a 555-mile, five-day cycling ride down the California coast, inviting six fellow firefighters to ride with him. Not for a medal. Not for spectacle. To create motion in a culture where stillness has become dangerous, and to force the conversations that usually get avoided.
What started as one man's response became a collective act of resistance.
THE RIDERS
Seven firefighters. Three states. One ride.
Engineer Tim Fisher — A 20-year veteran of Orange County Fire Authority, and the organizer of this ride and producer of this film. Tim is the reason this story exists — he refused to keep watching colleagues quietly disappear, and decided to do something about it.
Captain Ruben Torres Jr. — A 16-year veteran of San Jose Fire Department, riding to honor those lost to PTSD.
Firefighter Paramedic Matthew Becklund — An 9-year veteran of San Jose Fire Department, riding to spotlight the emotional toll of firefighting.
Rick Van Tyle — A 29-year retired veteran of the Torrance Fire Department, riding to honor those lost to the mental toll of the job and to inspire others to prioritize their own mental health.
Engineer Kyle Hirsch — A 11-year veteran of San Jose Fire Department, riding for systemic change in how the fire service addresses mental health.
Engineer Glynn Burchette — A 7-year veteran of San Jose Fire Department, riding to support peers suffering in silence.
Firefighter Craig Doppmann — Nearly 25 years of combined service, from the US Forest Service to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), riding to bring attention to the mental health toll on wildland and structural firefighters alike.
Each of them has a station, a family, and a story most people will never hear secondhand — until now.
THE FILM
Director Christopher "Cova" Covarrubias — a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and U.S. Air Force veteran — spent a year embedded inside this story, not observing it from a distance. His crew followed the ride through fog-drenched mountain roads and coastal cliffs, but more importantly, they followed it into fire stations, into family living rooms, into therapy sessions, and into the quiet hours after the uniform comes off.
"I didn't set out to make a film about firefighters," Cova says. "I set out to make a film about what people carry when the uniform comes off and the noise finally stops." The result is Burning the Miles — a raw, cinematic documentary that doesn't try to fix anything or wrap this story in a bow. It's a clear-eyed look at connection, vulnerability, and endurance in a profession that takes everything, and a hard look at what it costs firefighters, their families, and the people who love them to keep showing up.
THE FILM CREW
Christopher "Cova" Covarrubias — Director + Producer Los Angeles–based filmmaker and U.S. Air Force veteran. Cova's work lives with people who carry weight they don't talk about, shaped by proximity, patience, and earned trust.
Antoine Prévost — Director of Photography. A French cinematographer with an instinct for human truth, Antoine shapes both the visual language and rhythm of the film, holding space long enough for honesty to surface.
Austin Callahan — Associate Producer. U.S. Air Force veteran and founder of Callahan Films. Austin is a steady presence in the field, overseeing production continuity and staying embedded in the story as it unfolds.
WHAT WE'VE ALREADY BUILT
This isn't a pitch for an idea that doesn't exist yet. Over the past year:
- We've shot over 8TB of cinematic footage — vérité, multi-camera, drone, and raw, powerful interviews with firefighters, families, and psychological experts across three U.S. states.
- Tim and Cova have personally self-funded $40,000 of their own money into this production.
- We've built real relationships with fire departments, IAFF union locals, veteran organizations, and mental health advocates who believe in this story enough to put their names behind it as official partners.
- We've cut sneak peeks and a full proof-of-concept teaser that are already generating real buzz inside firehouses and veteran circles.
WHAT'S LEFT
The film is shot. The story is real. What's left is finishing it: professional editing, an original score, sound design and mix, color correction, festival submission fees, and the marketing and distribution deliverables it takes to get this film in front of the people who need to see it — and to the screens that can take it further: streaming platforms, broadcast, and beyond.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
We're raising $26,000 to finish post-production:
- Professional editing
- Original score and composition
- Sound design and final mix
- Color correction and grading
- Film festival submission fees
- Marketing and publicity
- Distribution deliverables required by festivals and streaming platforms
Every dollar raised goes directly toward crossing this finish line.
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
We're aiming to premiere Burning the Miles at the LA County Fire Museum on October 3, 2026, and to carry it into the 2026 festival season — including Hot Docs, Mountainfilm, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, and others. But none of that happens without finishing post-production first.
HOW WE'D LOVE TO THANK YOU
$25 — Rider's Mile. A personal thank-you from the team, and your name on the film's digital supporter wall.
$50 — Backer of the Brotherhood. Everything above, plus early digital access to the finished film before public release.
$100 — Mile Marker. Everything above, plus an exclusive behind-the-scenes mini-featurette not included in the final cut, and a signed photo card from the ride.
$250 — Crew Circle. Everything above, plus your name in the film's closing credits under "Special Thanks," and a Burning the Miles crew shirt.
$1,000 — Founding Supporter (limited to 20 supporters). Everything above, plus 2 tickets to the red-carpet premiere on October 3, 2026, and a personal video thank-you from Cova and Tim.
$2,500 — Winners Circle (limited to 8–10 supporters). Everything above, plus your name individually credited on-screen, and an invite to a private pre-premiere virtual Q&A with the director and team captain.
$5,000 — Associate Producer Circle (limited to 5 supporters). Everything above, plus an Associate Producer credit in the film, 4 tickets to the red-carpet premiere, and a cycling jersey signed by the full team and crew.
A NOTE ON GIVING
Burning the Miles is an independent film production, not a registered nonprofit. Donations support the completion of the film and are not tax-deductible. If you'd like to support firefighter mental health and wellbeing directly, we're proud to point you to our partner, the San Jose Firefighters Veterans Alliance (SJFFVA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — your gift to them is tax-deductible.
We're not asking you to believe in something unproven. We're asking you to help us finish what's already working — and to help make sure that the people who run toward danger for a living finally have someone running toward them.
